Below, we detail an extremely interesting project. We will talk specifically about how to make olive, coconut and calendula oil soap. And you will also have the possibility to make it yourself. Like all oil-based soaps, this one will provide your skin with all the benefits of olive oil, coconut oil and calendula oil.
You will obtain a soap that is extremely moisturizing, bactericidal, with a high concentration of vitamin E and A, healing, anti-inflammatory and repellent. Before starting with the procedure of how to prepare it, it is advisable to verify the properties of each of its components.
Properties of calendula.
Marigold is a plant with incredible properties, it is a very showy flower that is grown in orchards and gardens and is often used a lot for its repellent properties to some pests, while attracting pollinating bugs that you know are very necessary in the orchards.
Besides they are really beautiful and showy. They have bright orange colors and you can even predict the weather because when it is going to rain the flowers close.
The properties and benefits of calendula are many, it has a lot of different applications especially for its properties for skin care. In topical use it is healing, anti-inflammatory, it is used for irritations, burns, to treat varicose veins and cysts in the chest, for conjunctivitis and other eye discomforts. It is widely used to soothe irritation and inflammation of the stomach and intestine. In addition, calendula is analgesic and antispasmodic, it is also recommended for viral diseases and bacterial infections.
Calendula is, in principle, a very safe plant, we can consume it without fear of intoxication as long as we do it with common sense. We can also include the petals in salads as it gives a very nice touch of color and are totally edible.
Returning to the subject of applications on the skin, we can use a calendula oil that we can prepare very easily at home, merging the flowers in a good quality vegetable oil.
How to harvest marigold.
Marigold can be used as a whole plant, stems and leaves, but generally, only the flower is used. The flower can be harvested very well simply by hand, it breaks easily from the stem, then we can use them as they are, fresh or we can let them dry to keep them all year long. The best time to collect them is on sunny days and when the sun is at its highest point because it is at this time when there is more energy in the flower and therefore more medicinal force will have.
Calendula has a regenerative property that makes a new flower grow in the place where another flower was removed. This guarantees us to have more flowers from the same plant. The more flowers we cut, the newer flowers will be born.
Properties of olive oil.
Olive oil is the vegetable fat obtained from olives, it is used for both culinary and cosmetic applications and is easily available. We have different types of olive oil, in principle we subject the olives to a first process called extraction, there the only thing we do is crush the olives and press them, from there we obtain virgin olive oil and this process has been done cold (without applying temperature) the oil remains as it is.
We have another type of oil which once we have obtained it we can refine it to eliminate impurities or we can also have submitted it to the extraction process by means of heat, in that case we speak of refined olive oil. This oil, from a nutritional point of view, has less value than virgin olive oil.
And then we have what is called pure olive oil, which is a mixture of the two previous ones.
Finally, we would have the olive pomace oil that from the nutritional point of view would be the one with the lowest nutritional value, although all four oils share or have in common the fact that the fat that composes them is monounsaturated fat, the famous oleic acid that has very beneficial effects on health, mainly on blood cholesterol levels, it helps us to increase the good cholesterol and to decrease the bad cholesterol.
What differentiates the different types of oil is what is known as the saponifiable fraction, which is only present in virgin olive oil and pure olive oil. This fraction, which is eliminated in the other types of oil, is mainly composed of vitamin E, carotenoids, which are precursors of vitamin A and polyphenols. All these compounds have a powerful antioxidant activity which will help us to fight against the dreaded free radicals. On the other hand, this type of oil has another compound called phytosterols, which are plant sterols that also help us or prevent us from absorbing cholesterol from food.
Properties of coconut oil.
Coconut oil is an oil that is traditionally widely used in various fields. It has special fatty acids that can be beneficial both ingested and applied topically. Due to its abundance in various parts of the world, coconut oil is readily and inexpensively available. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is a potent bactericide and therefore can prevent infections. Coconut oil is a highly moisturizing product that is part of many cosmetic products such as soaps and creams, and also serves as a wonderful moisturizing hair detangler and also serves to kill lice.
Procedure: how to make olive, coconut and calendula oil soap.
To make this type of soap we are going to use two fats. In this case we are going to use olive oil and coconut oil. This is an extremely easy soap to make with just a few ingredients that are very easy to find. Below is a list of the materials we will use.
– 582 g. Olive oil.
– 85 g. Coconut oil.
– 83 g. Caustic soda (98% purity).
– 200 g. of distilled water.
– 10 g. of grated Calendula.
– 5 g. of essential oil of calendula.
– 900 g. Silicone soap mold.
– Manual mixer.
– Plastic containers.
– Weighing scale.
– Mask.
– Latex gloves.
– Apron.
Once we have all our ingredients, we proceed to weigh them according to the amounts in grams detailed above. It is necessary to take into account that coconut oil solidifies at certain temperatures, so, after weighing, it is necessary to heat it to be able to fuse it with the other components.
To make this soap, it is important to take into account that it will be made in two phases. This process is similar for any type of oil soap. Phase 1 is the union of the fats (coconut oil and olive oil) and phase 2 is the preparation of the lye (Union of distilled water with sodium hydroxide).
Phase 1. Fat binding.
It is necessary to join the fats, and for this both must be in liquid state. It is also important to heat the mixture slightly to an ideal temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. This is with the objective that both phases (1 and 2) are at the same temperature.
Phase 2. Creation of the lye.
Mix very well the distilled water and the caustic soda in a plastic, glass or stainless steel container because caustic soda is very corrosive and can react with any other material. This phase is the most dangerous of the whole process since the mixture of water and caustic soda forms lye (this is a highly corrosive material). This lye can cause irritation or burns on contact with the skin and partial or permanent blindness if a single drop falls into the eyes. Therefore, we must be very careful and pay close attention while working with this product. We must stir until the caustic soda is completely dissolved in the distilled water.
Among the recommendations for working with this type of reaction we can mention the use of safety equipment such as a mask, latex gloves and goggles, as well as aprons and appropriate clothing that covers all the exposed areas of the body.
This reaction is exothermic since it raises the temperature close to 100 degrees Celsius and also emanates corrosive vapors that should never be inhaled by the human body since they are toxic. This is why it must be done in ventilated places and out of the reach of children and animals.
At the moment of joining these two components it is imperative to pour the caustic soda to the water, since if it is done the other way around this can cause unnecessary corrosive splashes.
This mixture must be left to stand until the temperature drops to about 40 degrees Celsius in order to unite the two phases. After this time the lye will become totally transparent.
Phase 3. Union of the lye with the oils.
In this phase we proceed to mix well phase 1 with phase 2. If necessary, it is recommended to reheat the oils since both phases must be at the same temperature. Then we proceed to stir the mixture with a spatula or spoon preferably plastic or wooden with enveloping movements and then use the hand mixer. We will be stirring whisking until we get a creamy or thick semi-liquid consistency. This is the point of trace and is where we have the ideal consistency to place the mixture in the mold.
Phase 4. Soap additives.
An important phase in the process of how to make olive, coconut and calendula oil soap is the inclusion of additives. These components give our soap the necessary characteristics to meet the objective requirements of our soap. At this stage we add the essential oil or calendula fragrance and stir with the spatula.
Then we proceed to pour the mixture into the mold. In this part of the process we add the grated calendula as a final decoration and let our soap rest in the mold for approximately 24 hours.
Phase 5. Unmolding, cutting and curing.
The last step of our procedure is to demold the mixture after 24 hours, and cut the soap bar into bars. Now, at this stage, we must leave our soap bars in a dry and cool place for a period of 4 weeks to give our soap a curing time. This is the stipulated time for the saponification process to take place completely and is where any remaining caustic soda is eliminated. We can measure the PH of our soap as this time elapses and when we have it at a PH of 8 + or -1 we can use it, since it is the acceptable and safe range for our skin.
Conclusion.
In this article we saw, in a systematic way, how to make olive, coconut and calendula oil soap. Which is a highly moisturizing soap, anti-inflammatory and with high concentrations of vitamin E and A, qualities that make this soap, a high quality product and, at the same time, a source that brings great benefits to your skin. I hope this information will be of great help for your project.
